


one single thread of gold tied me to you

by Mellybear



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Community: FFT, F/F, Fluff, Mild Angst, Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 07:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27169972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellybear/pseuds/Mellybear
Summary: Invisible red strings connect witches and wizards to their destined romantic mate. Visible to you only when your eyes are closed, and felt exclusively under great emotional duress. Ginny Weasley is eleven years old, and her string is made of solid gold.For the TS8 at Midnight Challenge
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	1. eleven

Ginny closed her eyes excitedly holding her hand out in front of her. She couldn’t see the limb there, but in the darkness behind her eyelids, a golden thread of light cut through her vision. It was thin enough that it could be ignored, but gleamed just enough to catch your eye. At eleven years old that was the string of fate. It pretty much proved one was a witch, not that anyone had ever had doubts about Ginny Weasley and her firey magic, burning the ends of her brother's robes when they insisted they’d trample the rabbit's nest that had nestled onto the end of the goal post out back. 

But the string was so much more important than all that accidental magic. It would prove that her soulmate was Harry Potter himself. The boys refused to include her in their plan to free him from his evil captors because she was  _ ‘too little’  _ though Ron got to go and he was only twelve. 

She was waiting up for their return when Molly caught her out of bed by the window. Ginny was waiting to feel the tug of distress or excitement on her pinky finger to let her know they’d arrived to rescue him, but none came. 

“Ginny, it’s far past bedtime now.” Molly scolded. The girl resisted the urge to point out how many of her boys were not upstairs in bed, so why should she be? But they’d realize in their own time. Venturing her brown eyes to look out the window once more, her mother swatted at her and Ginny retreated. 

  
  


Though the eleven-year-old vowed she wouldn’t sleep until they arrived back, that had failed and she fell asleep with her eyes closed focusing on the string for any subtle movements. 

When she woke up the redhead frantically thrashed her legs to free herself from the tangle of her blankets in the summer heat, almost tumbling out of bed. The shouting from downstairs that she now realized had woken her was a telltale sign they were home. 

Ginny’s eyes fluttered closed, but her string hadn’t moved shape. It was like a curve, going down from the top of the hill they lived on, then back up over the next hill where she assumed it continued like that humping over hills until it reached harry. But Harry was here now as evidenced by the fact she ran into him when heading downstairs. 

Her eyes widened in panic, not sure why things hadn’t aligned like she planned it but he just gave a small wave none the wiser. Spinning on her heel Ginny made to leave the living room, but halfway out Molly caught her again just like the night before. 

“Ginerva Weasley, did you know about your brother’s making off with the car?” The threat in her voice said not to lie to her, but Ginny shook her head innocently anyway. The older woman just sighed, far too wrung out to care anymore. 

  
  


Sitting at the kitchen table while the boys played quidditch out back was a cruel and unjust punishment. She’d been the only one asked to slice the freshly peeled potatoes, probably because she was a  _ girl _ . And a total baby. Her foot-stomping tantrum did nothing and though her mother had magic she was left carefully pressing the knife into the starchy goodness. 

“Mum, is it normal for your string to be a different color?” Ginny ventures the question between the rhythmic chops of her knife. She’d only ever heard of people’s strings being red. The stovetop in front of her mother is sizzling away with a wooden spoon stirring itself as Molly read over  _ The Prophet.  _

“There’s hardly anything normal about it all,” her mother starts. Even though every witch and wizard has one, some people critique the idea of forcing eleven-year-olds to think about soulmates. “But yes, strings of fate come in many colors. There are different types of soulmates. Red always means your romantic match. A true soulmate.” Ginny hadn’t heard about that before. She knew her parents had the typical red string but had never asked her brothers to hear differently. Most people didn’t learn about them until they went to school. She imagined muggleborns to be especially confused up until that point. 

“What other colors are there?” She asked. 

“Oh, all sorts. There’s blue for a true companion, and green for competitive types, your father works with two of those at the ministry and they’re always at one another’s neck.” That didn’t sound anything like a soulmate to Ginny. “There’s familial Soulmates too. Fred and George have always been tied up in purple.” Did that mean they’d never have a romantic soulmate because they’d always had a piece of their soul tied together? 

“How about gold?” Ginny kept asking questions, knowing at the very least her mum would never laugh at her. But she did give a pause. 

“I’m not sure. You’ll have to ask when you get to school,” she says simply. “Oh, that reminds me, your letters arrived earlier today. We’ll go shopping tomorrow.” 

Ginny always assumed she had a golden string for the most golden boy. Harry Potter was the chosen one, and he must have been the love of her life. But watching his figure run off between Ron’s gangly body and a much shorter tan-skinned Hermione, she was putting that idea to rest. 

Just in case, she closed her eyes one more time, and the string traveled back in the other direction far away from Harry. 

  
  


Giving up on Harry Potter might have been the best thing that ever happened to Ginny. She didn’t need to fawn over someone famous who thought of her as just some kid. If she wanted that, her brothers were right there. 

Her mom was right about school. On day one in their very first classes, the strings of fate were explained. If they didn’t get it out of the way, no one would focus on the actual lessons that came after until they knew. 

Binns was up first with the most boring account on the history and theory of strings. Something about prosperity of life and magical evolution to survive dwindling populations. He covered famous figures and who their strings reportedly tied them to. There was a long circulated rumor that all of the Hogwarts founders were platonically tied to one another in a circle. 

“Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw were long reported to have been lovers,” a dreamy voice interjected. Everyone in the class snickered over the word  _ lovers  _ or better yet shifted uncomfortably. The Gryffindors had their first-class side by side with the Ravenclaws, and on the other end of the voice, Ginny found her familiar friend and neighbor Luna Lovegood. Professor Binns ignored her, as he did all interjections or even questions really, continuing to prattle on through the lesson. 

After the lesson, Ginny lingered by the door to wait for her friend like she often did. They hadn’t been at Hogwarts long, but it was already evident that Luna had been rejected by their class like a bad organ. Some of the stuck up types made fun of Ginny’s typical Weasley demeanor and her hand-me-downs, but that was just typical Slytherin. Luna’s own housemates and people who considered themselves aligned with the side of good still tormented her just the same, acting like they were any better. 

“Hello, Ginny!” Luna chirped to her friend as she approached the door. 

“Hi, Luna,” the redhead returned warmly. The two of them walked together their steps quickly falling into sync. “Is it true what you said? About Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff?” Ginny never hesitated on getting to her point, which was something she could equally appreciate about Luna. 

“Oh, yes.” The blonde nods her head. “My father told me as much.” Luna’s father saying things didn’t necessarily make it true, but she would believe anything he told her or worse he published in his magazine. But Ginny had never seen that article. And it wasn’t like The Quibbler was picky about what they published. 

“Tell me more,” said Ginny. Luna adjusted the strap of her bag digging into her shoulder. 

“Well, Professor Binns was right about the founders all being connected. Slytherin and Gryffindor’s tremulous relationship is practically what defined the green strings. No one ever knew for sure about Rowena, but they theorized her to be connected to Slytherin as well. I think it’s more likely she and Helga had a golden string.” Ginny’s ears perked up when Luna brought it up. Had the answer been at her side all along. 

“What’s a golden string mean?” Ginny asked, her mouth going a bit dry. 

“ _ Oh _ ,” Luna exclaimed, looking at her hand instead of answering the question. “Sorry, I felt a tug just now.” Tugs weren’t entirely uncommon. It was a way of reminding you there was someone on the other end of the string. Like you could possibly forget. The working theory was tugs could happen in any moment where your emotions spiked. It could mean impending doom or a nice birthday gift. Luna's eyes were closed in that dreamy way, likely staring at the image of her now still string and Ginny nudged her with an elbow to the side. When she returned, Luna was just smiling at Ginny's expectant face, eyebrows raised. 

“The golden string, Luna?” 

“Oh, yes,” she says slowly. “It means... They’re everything.” The way Luna explained it so simply was like she’d summed it all up perfectly. Ginny knitted her eyebrows in confusion, and a bit of annoyance, though she could never be  _ mad _ at her friend. 

“Everything?” She prodded further. 

“It means it’s unbreakable. They’re your true friend, a companion, a sister, a lover. Strings are always your soulmate but golden strings push you to new heights.” Ginny looked at her pinky finger, hoping to feel a tug or something but it stayed completely still. 

“I have one,” Ginny said after a few moments of silence. They’d stopped in front of her next class with McGonagall now. The Ravenclaws weren’t in this class but Luna had still floated along with her all the way there before even realizing it. 

“Really?” Luna’s voice didn’t actually sound surprised. “As do I.” Ginny actually  _ was _ surprised. But before she could press for further information, Luna turned around to head down to the dungeons, to a Potions class she’d surely be late for. And on the first day. That was rotten luck. 

“Luna, wait!” 

“Bye, Ginny.” She smiles waving over her shoulder to her friend before starting to trot away. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, holding her hand out in front of her. The golden string moved in a straight line, getting further with each passing second, but still within reach. 

“Miss Weasley,” a voice chided at her side. “It would do you well to daydream in a desk and not in the hallway.” 

“Sorry professor.” Ginny never thought she’d wish for potions class.


	2. thirteen

Ginny Weasley did not want to think about her first year at Hogwarts ever again. Where most eleven-year-olds were making connections to their strings and learning to float feathers, half of her year was a blur of possession. And she hadn't been possessed by the assigned readings. 

Luna Lovegood had felt the tugs all year long. But she always had. Sometimes there was a tug when you rode a broom for the first time or skinned your knee looking for moon frogs in the garden. She never suspected anything could be wrong with her best friend. 

They knew it was each other now. It had only taken moments to confirm sitting next to one another, that their string was impossibly short when they closed their eyes and held hands. It couldn't be anyone else, unless Ginny had a second soul in her. Knowing the golden string wasn't like the red in that they must have been romantically linked, Ginny took it to mean she'd found her true best friend. Luna would never judge her or belittle a thing about her and Ginny would never turn harsh words against Luna. 

But it left other things more open and confusing. Like dating. Maybe Harry Potter wasn't out of the books for her. He'd saved her life after all. That must have meant something, even if fate refused to connect him. But through her second year, the boy who lived hardly even checked in on the girl who barely survived. Since they had something in common now, wasn't that supposed to mean something? 

She was busy anyway. It wasn't like the quidditch team would be letting her on anytime soon, but she'd spent the span of her third year, rallying the other Gryffindors in her year to play pick up games with her. Since Ron and Harry were always so busy one way or the other. Hermione was the only one kind enough to give her the time of day, but even she was often distracted. That came with being responsible for the boys she supposed. 

Ginny played a mean game. Not just a good game, but a brutal one. By the second week of pickup games, her newfound friends seemed a little less willing to play. They'd gladly let her have a spot when the time came. That was fine by her, but now she was out of options. 

"Luna, do you want to play pick-up?" Ginny asked eagerly, jumping in the way of her friend's path. 

"Pick up what?" Luna asked, tilting her head with curiosity. 

"A pick-up  _ game _ . Quidditch?" She held up the old beat up quaffle borrowed from the supplies in her hands. The Ravenclaw looked at it like a three-headed creature. Actually, she probably would have been happier to see a three-headed creature. The girl had never been one for the game, but Ginny refused to believe that. Luna was her  _ soulmate _ . 

"I don't think-,"

"We'll just toss it. Come  _ on _ ." 

Somehow pleading always worked on Luna. Even when she really didn't want to be there. Ginny tossed the quaffle at Luna's chest with too much force and even though she caught it the ball slammed into her breastbone and her hands stung. 

"Neville's asked me to the Yule Ball," Ginny said after they'd been passing back and forth in silence for a few minutes. 

"Really?" Luna asked having no reason to doubt that someone would want to ask Ginny to the ball. They were only third years which meant they had no way to go otherwise. She threw the quaffle back weakly, making Ginny have to dive out to catch it. That was good practice too.

"I said I would go but..." The hesitation in Ginny's voice played out on her face. She didn't really like Neville, it was just more likely that she wanted to have a chance to go. "It's just not fair, it seems like we keep missing the boat." Maybe Luna being an only child didn't feel that way, but Ginny had lived a never ending life of too young. That just seemed to be her lot in life, to live as the permanent baby in everyone's eyes even as she grew out of that. She could be just as old as Ron when he drove a flying car or helped an escaped prisoner go free, but it still would never be old  _ enough _ .

"You should wear green, you'd look lovely," Luna interjects into her thoughts.

"Maybe we could get someone to ask you, Luna!" Ginny says, thinking it would be fun to have a friend there with her. "Ron seems bloody desperate." She was laughing at her brother before she thought about the real implication of her words to Luna. She didn't look hurt by it, knowing her friend would never mean any harm the way others did. 

"I mean, anyone would have to be desperate to ask a third year, right?" 

It didn't take long for Luna to get bored, hiding her bright red palms in the depths of her pockets so that Ginny wouldn't feel bad. Her strength wasn't anything to hold back on, even if it did knock a few people off balance. There was hardly any sun left to set behind the winter clouds. The cold was seeping further in, penetrating the worn off spells that kept them warm.

  
  


In a bitter turn of events, Harry did consider asking her. Only after Hermione pointed out the option to him, when he was utterly hopeless. It hurt to have to tell him someone had already asked her. The following shock and crestfallen reaction only prodded at the cord of anger in Ginny. At least she hadn't been Neville Longbottom's last resort. 

As it turned out, she wasn't Harry's last resort. The honor went to Parvati Patil. Ginny spent the night dancing enthusiastically with Neville, who wasn't nearly as bad as she'd been expecting. Someone who was thankful to be with her was better than bitter obligation. Though no one had been convinced to ask Luna to the ball in time, that was probably for the best. 

Her friend waited on the steps outside the ball with several girls younger than them unable to go to the dance as well. They were there to watch the parade of dress robes and dates, but Luna stood only when Ginny arrived. 

"You look amazing!" She complimented her friend when she stepped out, grabbing onto her hands. Ginny had ended up in pastel green and pink dress robes, not even half as ugly as Ronald's. That was something worth celebrating. 

"Not really," she said bashfully. "All the older girls look so  _ beautiful _ ." Even Hermione who was only a year older somehow looked like a fully grown woman in Ginny's eyes. When she stood next to Victor Krum, it was a wonder why her string was tied to someone like Ron. 

"So do you. They just look older, but you look... Nice." Luna looked her friend up and down, shining in her dress robes. 

"Do you want to dance with me?" Ginny asked. 

"I can't go in," Luna reminds her. The redhead looks around the entrance hall, where they can hear that the music is playing faintly. Knowing Neville, he was still inside, dancing without her while she took a moment for her friend. 

"We can dance out here." Ginny held out her hand for Luna's and there was no hesitation. When she blinked their string was at its shortest, where things belonged. They probably looked silly, Ginny in dress robes and Luna wearing her silver PJs swaying in the undecorated stone archway that separated the elite older students from the youngsters and crying girls who had already had their night obliterated by stupid boys. Luna laid her head on Ginny's shoulder, trying to hear the music over her own pulse hammering in her ears. But Ginny wondered if the girl could hear  _ her _ heart, hammering away as her hand tightened its leading grip on Luna. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on tumblr @ shslflamingarrow


	3. fifteen

Ginny's relationship with Dean was confusing, all things considered. When she asked about his string, he refused to talk about it. That made sense, two people in a relationship (if you could call what Ginny and Dean were doing a relationship) who weren't soulmates discussing their strings was only going to lead to pain. She just didn't get why he was so touchy about it. 

Until he'd asked how she felt about being connected to another girl. It didn't bother Ginny, but the question was underlying. Being tied to someone of the same sex bothered  _ Dean _ . The scoff she threw in his face signaled the end of things for them.

"You know... Harry doesn't have a string." Hermione's voice was low, and not just because they were in the library. People always knew too much about Harry's business. He'd hate people to know about something so personal. 

"He doesn't?" That was quite sad. Hermione nodded solemnly. The older girl had been too smart to miss the clues about her own tie being to Ron, from the moment she learned about them. But wisely chose to ignore that in favor of the wizarding world's greater problems at hand. 

"I think he's the only person to have their string severed before they've turned eleven." That sounded right, Ginny had never heard of anything like it. Strings broke because of irreparable damage done to relationships or death. 

"You think it's because of when-," Ginny doesn't have to say his name or finish the sentence for Hermione to nod. Harry's string had been severed as a baby, the night Voldemort came to his home and failed to kill him. The thought led her to wonder if it was possible Voldemort himself had ever been tied to someone. It seemed like an impossible thought.

"I just thought, since your string... With Luna." Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "You're just  _ friends _ , so." The hint was that because Harry didn't have the tie, Ginny was supposed to fill the empty hole in his heart, as the girl who'd always just  _ been _ there. 

"Don't you think Harry has more important things to focus on than all the hormonal angst in the air?" When she wasn’t complaining about Ronnand Lavender, Hermione wouldn't stop going on about how Harry was stupid enough to trust some dangerous book's advice. That was until Ginny sent her a frosty look which promptly shut her mouth. But the unspoken afterthought was there.  _ At least Harry isn't eleven.  _ He should have learned his lesson sure, but that wasn't Ginny, nor Hermione's problem. Not as much as she wanted to make it out to be. 

"I just think he likes you is all." Hermione didn't think things, she knew things. Ginny closed her book promptly, a reminder to her friend that  _ she _ had more important things to focus on her O.W.L.s year. 

"Well I don't feel the same," Ginny replied. And she meant it. Deciding she wouldn't wait for Hermione to keep prodding at her she snatched her belongings off the desk to storm out of the quiet room. 

Harry Potter was the savior to their world and he deserved great things. But that did not mean he was entitled to Ginny Weasley. She existed only in his peripheral as Ron's cute younger sister, waiting with open arms in the wings for him to finish his date with destiny. All because Harry Potter had no one better, and there was no one better than him? He didn’t think of it like that surely, but he didn’t have to when everyone else would do the determining for him. 

Ginny’s scuffed Mary Janes tapped against the stone floors under her quick long strides. She was just going to get to the dorm room where there would be no one to pester her. Except her roommates Siamese cat, who could scream louder than a human when the food dish was empty. 

“Ginny!” Jogging footsteps sounded behind her and for a split second, she half expected Hermione to have been chasing her. Except Hermione sounded nothing like the airy dreamlike voice, soft even when shouting her name. So she stopped, waiting for Luna to catch up with her. 

“I felt my string. It was pulling like I’m losing a game of tugwar.” Luna held up her hand where there was nothing to see. “Is everything okay?” Ever since one bad year, they were in agreement to check in on each other when there was a particularly bad spell. It made for awkward conversations when it followed finding Ginny in a broom closet with Dean, but Luna didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word awkward. She faced truth head-on with no holds barred. 

“Yeah, everything is fine, sorry to worry you.” She really was sorry, knowing she wasn’t always the best friend to Luna and considering the way she always worried. The couple fell into step together and the Ravenclaw reflexively grabbed her friend's hand to hold in her own bringing their strings together. Ginny’s heart skipped a beat beneath her ribcage and she hoped that Luna couldn’t feel the tug of her heartstrings. 

That feeling had crept in more and more recently, the total rush of adrenaline from just a small touch. The first time it happened, she chalked it up to sharing an invisible flying horse with the girl, being forced to wrap her arms around the small of Luna’s waist as they made their way to the ministry. The two had always been by each other’s side since they were kids growing up one hill away from each other. But lately, whenever Luna wasn’t around, the girl would consume Ginny’s thoughts until she was again. At quidditch games, searching the crowd the only thing she wanted to see was Luna in that ridiculous lion hat. She wasn’t hard to find and that was entirely the point. 

"I overheard Ron having quite a fight with his girlfriend in one of the abandoned classrooms," Luna told her, starting to swing their hands in time with their steps. Ginny just rolled her eyes. 

"I don't want to hear about their stupid relationship problems." The way her lips lamented the word  _ their _ said she was talking about more than just Ron and Lavender Brown. 

"I'm sure to them it doesn't feel very stupid," Luna said. "In fact, it probably feels like it's the most real thing in the world." 

"It doesn't make any bloody sense," Ginny said, ignoring Luna's emotionally mature analysis of how they might all be feeling. "He knows Lavender isn't his soulmate, he's tied to  _ Hermione _ . So why is he bothering with someone else?" The hypocrisy in her own words was always quietly ignored. 

"Perhaps some people want to believe they're resistant to the concept of fate." It made sense. Ron wanted an illusion of power over something that was objectively telling him the right answer. Feeling like you were in charge of your choices meant running from the ones being spelled out to you. 

"That's stupid." 

"Is it?" What exactly was Ginny doing then? 

At the base of the stairs, the pair of girls stopped. Luna would go up one case to the Ravenclaw's tower and Ginny would take the other to Gryffindor. When Luna dropped her hand Ginny suddenly felt cold and chose to shove hers deep back into her wand pocket. Like holding the piece of wood between her fingers would return proper feeling. 

"Harry's asked me to Slughorn's party with him." Luna just looks at the redhead with a blank look as she brings this up. Casually, like it's nothing. Luna going on a date with the boy Ginny had pined over for too many years. She just blinks. 

"Is that so?" She had been invited to the party herself, as a member of the club. Thought perhaps she would have asked her friend. As a friend. The conversation suddenly reminded her of a similar one about the Yule ball. 

"As friends, yes." So Harry had the same thought, but if that were the case why hadn't he asked her? Was it because of the implied feelings he was harboring that Hermione mentioned? 

"I can't go," Ginny blurted suddenly. Luna looked a bit confused. "I would go it's just I've got  _ so _ much... Going on." They had O.W.L.s coming up, that was as good an excuse as any. 

"I'll steal you some pepper imps," Luna said, only able to smile. It was hard to differentiate between soft and sad with her when they both felt so similar. 

"Thanks, Luna." The two drifted slowly away from one another to their delegated staircase, each stealing glances over their shoulder until they hit the first step. 

  
  


Harry Potter was a stupid chosen one. That's all he was, Ginny told herself the night of the party. Maybe he was better than some. Where others would have asked Luna to the party as a joke, he ventured because he genuinely enjoyed her company. How nice for him. Instead of moping up in her four poster like Ginny had imagined, she crept out of the dorm that night under the excuse of finding an empty room to practice in. Picking what she could only assume was the classroom Luna had overheard her brother's fight in, the girl had a vantage point of people walking on their way to the party. All the desks were shoved to both sides, clearing a big empty spot in the center of the room. There weren't any spare practice dummies just laying around, but shooting her spells into a broom was just as good. Except they didn't cushion the blows as well. 

With just one nasty hex, she split the broom apart into splinters. Ginny didn't see the point in having them around a magic castle that should be cleaned by magic. Why was there a squib being forced to pick up after magical students? Wasn't that just cruel? Rumor had long been spread that his string was tied to his cat Mrs. Norris, but that was more of a cruel jest than legitimate speculation. Squibs, like muggles, didn't have strings. 

When she tried to cast repario to make things right, she found that her damage was beyond mending, as it often was. Ginny heaved a sigh that echoed a bit in the empty liminal space of the room. She kicked the reduced pile of sticks but froze on the spot when footsteps sounded outside the hall. 

_ "That's why I wear shoes when I sleep..." _ No one but Luna would be in the middle of explaining something like that. Despite her general irritation, Ginny had to laugh even if it was only to herself, alone on the other side of the door. If she really wanted to, she could enter the Christmas party, her feet clad in laughable bunny slippers. They would be laughable on anyone else, but everyone knew laughing at Ginny Weasley did nothing to phase her and could very well end you up in the same state as the broom. If she were in a sour enough mood. Seeing the look on Luna's dreamy face through the crack in the door her mood was warring against itself. Half of her awestruck by the beauty, and the other seething enough to tear the door off its hinges. She didn't dare move though, waiting for the pair to fade out of sight. 

When she walked past, Luna stared straight at her through the door causing Ginny to duck away. Of course, she should have known that one blink would give her away, but she really hadn't planned on seeing Luna. Just hoped that it might be a possibility. Only when she could be sure they were far enough away did she begin to sneak out into the corridor. 

There she was met with none other than a pale blonde she didn't care for nearly as much as Luna. Draco Malfoy was skulking around and looking just as suspicious. The only difference was he lacked the scuffed slippers that mimicked the look of a fuzzy animal, perfect for sneaking. 

"What are you doing here?" She asked him on the defensive only for her own account. 

"I could ask you the same thing, Weasel." An original nickname. "Or should I say rabbit? Vermin you are either way." His grey gaze had caught sight of her slippers, but her face stayed looking bored and unimpressed by his display. Draco the peacock would puff out his chest until everyone around him backed down or got tired. 

"One of us was invited to the party," Ginny pointed out. "The other was rejected. Because of... What was it again?  _ Oh,  _ could it be because of your father's ties to-," 

"Shut up." Draco stopped her, pushing past with her shoulder before she could even speak his name. Ginny's jaw clenched, her hand tightening around the wand she held and playing the image of the broom blasting to bits over and over in her mind. 

"You'd better turn around and piss off Malfoy, or I'll be telling everyone how you only stalk Harry because of your fat honking crush on him," Ginny spit the words with the same ferocity as her spells causing Draco's head to whip around so quick she was surprised his neck didn't snap.

"You filthy little-,"

"Get a new insult," she cut him off. "Everyone knows you practically shredded your string to pieces on purpose and now you're obsessed with following him around everywhere. Get a hobby, mate." 

"Jealous?" He sneered. Maybe she was, but not what he thought. Not the way  _ everyone _ seemed to think of her. The same girl she'd been at eleven years old, mooning over Harry Potter. Sometimes Ginny thought that girl probably died at Salazar Slytherin's feet and she was the only thing that remained. Oftentimes, trauma like that was something that would pull a string so tight it snapped. Upon further research, Luna had been right about the golden string. It was unbreakable, malleable, ever-changing, and beautiful. Not only were they everything, but it was the possibility of anything. 

"You don't know as much as you think you do," Ginny said. 

"Neither do you," Draco responded, his face probably stuck in that ugly sneer by now. 

"Just turn around, you're not going to ruin this party." That was the center of it all, she just didn't want Luna to be caught up in the dark cloud of Draco Malfoy's negativity. The girl was like a lightning rod absorbing other people's emotions no matter how volatile. She could find empathy for anyone, and Malfoy simply wasn't deserving. He mumbled something she assumed was crass and slinked away back to the shadow he came from. A snake didn't even have legs to tuck his tail between. 

  
  


Ginny had left after that, but her harassment of Draco Malfoy went in one ear out the other. And the next day it was evident he'd shared their confrontation with every Slytherin’s favorite bias, Snape. 

"Why was Professor Snape so harsh on you today?" Luna mused, stopping the scribbling of her quill over her parchment. Fifth year Snape's class was with the Ravenclaw's, just like Ginny had wished for years ago. Rather than potions now it was Defense class and she wished it had been with anyone Luna watching her. He couldn't belittle her skill on any solid grounds, but Snape was determined by any means. 

"He's just in a rotten mood. Kept calling me  _ Potter's little girlfriend _ , like I think I'm so above everyone else." He couldn't even properly read the situation for someone who was so haughty about their vast infinite knowledge. 

"That's a shame, Professor can be such a good teacher if only he weren't so begrudging." Ginny blinked in surprise at the idea that someone could consider Snape a good teacher. Of course, it would be someone not in Gryffindor, where his grudge was always felt the strongest. 

"You'd think considering he finally got his way teaching DADA he'd smile a bit more." Ginny and Luna's laughter surrounded their table in the library until they were promptly hushed. Their apologetic looks were for show as they started to pack up their things. 

"You should come by for Christmas," Ginny offers. 

"Oooh, I'd love to. I can bring radish and goat cheese tarts." Where most people would wrinkle their nose at the odd food combination, Ginny was actually excited to try a bright red treat like that. 

  
  


The burrow covered in snow looked like a haphazard gingerbread house smattered with puffs of powdered sugar all over it. Ron always put the place down like he had some shame about the spells imbued in every wall but Ginny loved her home. It was a place so full of love that she had no shame bringing Luna or Harry in. Luna of course had grown up hugging the gnomes out back when they were supposed to be getting rid of them. Ugly, unlovable things were something both of them found solace in time and time again. And Luna had so much more sweet love to give than Ginny's angry heart with fires that burned so hot it had been turned into brittle glass when she finally cooled off. That just meant she needed to stay fired up, warm, and molten. 

She held one end of the Christmas cracker with Luna on the other end and both of them gave a strong tug. The crack sounded through the whole house, erupting a small wave of laughs and cheers over the drinks everyone held. The adults all got to sip on the same mulled mermaid wine while the kids had far too many glasses of butterbeer in hopes of catching even half the buzz. A silver tiara fell out and Ginny giggled as she slipped it into Luna's platinum hair. 

"That's perfect," she said resting her chin in the cradle of her hands propped up on the table. Elbows were so improper for some reason, but she couldn't be bothered, Ginny just kept her goofy grin focused on Luna. 

"It's a cork necklace," Luna said, lifting the gift that had fallen out of the cracker. Same as the crown, Luna returned the gesture and slipped the oversized cord around Ginny's neck. Her hair tickled her ears as Luna shifted it away, brushing it back causing a red blush to engulf her whole face. The heat touched all the way to her ears like she was burning from the inside out. 

"It's good but... Not quite as good as the Christmas gift I've got for you," Ginny said grinning mischievously. In the living room, there was another eruption of cheers, and she assumed a team had just scored being announced to the boys through the radio. Normally Ginny would be at their side for the game, but she didn't want to think of quidditch now knowing they'd have a big game to return to at Hogwarts. The two girls exchanged a humored look with Mrs. Weasley who was hard at work on the giant meal for everyone to devour in mere seconds as if it hadn't taken hours. 

Ginny tugged on Luna's hand getting them both away from the table. Pulling her partner up the stairs, their lips laced with giggles for no other reason than the joy of the holiday and being in one another’s presence for another year. On one of the landings, they bumped into Fleur, who Ginny was stuck sharing a room with. 

“Oh, Ginny!” The less favorable blonde mangled her name in her accented voice. “‘Ow are you? This is your girlfriend, yes?” Quickly she grabbed Luna’s hands with a warm smile, leaving Luna looking star struck. Anyone who was attracted to the female persuasion looked at Fleur like that, but it was hard not to feel the bitter stab of jealousy in her heart. 

“She’s not my  _ girlfriend _ , she’s-,” Ginny put her arms between them, breaking the link but couldn’t come up with an explanation to what Luna really was. 

“I’m Luna,” she finished for her friend. “It’s nice to meet you.” But already she was turning away from the French woman to go into Ginny’s room. 

“Ah, okay! Vell just be careful there’s-,” The redhead closed the door in her face, missing the muffled last word of  _ ‘mistletoe’ _ . Inside her room it was clear Fleur had taken to trying out her hand at helping with the Christmas decorations. There was garland intertwined with small glowing orbs of magic, and paper snowflakes strewn across the floor. Ginny looked annoyed, but Luna lifted one up to find that it was attached to a string of several other identical snowflakes, causing her to smile. 

“She better not have touched anything,” Ginny grumbled, diving her hand under her pillows to pull out a small gift wrapped in simple brown paper. 

“I think it looks quite lovely. She’s trying to help.” Luna always saw the bright side that way. When Luna looked away from the decorations back to Ginny she jutted the gift to her awkwardly. 

“I didn’t really have the money to go buy anything...” The excuse coming out of her mouth makes her feel a bit like Ron, but when Luna takes the gift she’s paying no mind to that. Her fingers pull the twine bow apart, letting the wrapping fall off to the ground below. There nestled in the white tissue paper is a delicate gold charm bracelet. When she picks it up the metal tinkles like small bells and Luna smiles. 

“I swear I must have spent weeks trying to detail the charms...” Delicate transfiguration work proved to be quite a bit harder than her usual casting. Surrounding the chain is a variety of small charms including Luna’s spectrespecs, a thestral, her lion hat, and a small hare. Next to the hare is a horse, and then a quaffle not entirely relating to Luna but instead Ginny. 

“I remember when you cast that patronus charm. A hare, I thought it was perfect. I couldn’t cast that until I saw you do it.” Ginny keeps talking, feeling obligated to fill the silence as Luna just keeps turning the bracelet in her hand over and over again. 

“It’s not much, I mean-,” 

“It’s lovely,” Luna said, realizing her silence was disheartening. She held out her wrist for Ginny to close the lobster clasp, her nimble fingers tickling over her wrist as she did so. With her head bent between them, she finished and looked back up satisfactorily. Her brown eyes flicked from Luna’s round eyes to the exposed wood rafters above their heads. Winding around one of the wooden posts was a bunch of mistletoe. Several in fact, it seemed Fleur was trying her hand at growing a small bushel, likely to hang up with the rest of her attempts at decoration. Ginny wasn't sure how to tell her something like that would only make her mum more cross. 

Seeing her distracted gaze, Luna tore her eyes away from the charm bracelet to follow Ginny's line of sight. The white berries seemed to dance above their head, shaking themselves as if they were little bells. 

"It's mistletoe," Ginny pointed out astutely. 

"Best to be careful. It could have-," 

"Actually... She made sure to get a nargle free bunch." Ginny reached out to touch Luna's forearm, calling her dreamy upward gaze to turn back to her. She didn't want Luna to look anywhere but her. 

"Oh, that’s a good effort. They’ll come though,” she said matter of factly. Ginny has no reason to doubt that could be true of the invisible creatures. 

“Um... Luna,” Ginny said. Her hand still hadn’t released the other girl's arm as they stood frozen under the mistletoe. She wanted to suggest something, but a deep anxiety settled in her said not to dare. 

“Right! It’s customary we kiss, isn’t it?” Luna remembered that as an afterthought, where everyone else would have it at the forefront of their mind. 

“We don’t have to,” Ginny said quickly. 

“Oh, but we should!” Luna replied looking up at her taller friend's reddening face. 

“I mean-, Okay. If  _ you _ want to, then I want to.” That settled things. Now she only needed to lean in and kiss the blonde. A breath was held in her chest and she assumed that if one listened close enough, they’d hear gears whirring in her head. Before she could muster up any more courage to do the deed, Luna had closed the gap. 

If Luna had ever kissed anyone, she hadn’t told Ginny about it. Which seemed unlikely, as there had always been plenty of opportunity. The Ravenclaw just didn’t seem to be focused on romance, unless she was listening to Ginny detailing her own feelings and affairs. She never would have known that the girl had any interest were they not standing there now snogging in the bitter, cold winter. Her assumed lack of experience wasn’t felt in the kiss though, starting off slow with a few tender pecks on the lips before their lips locked instinctively. Ginny’s breath was still being held as she leaned in closer to her friend. She’d never been so nervous about a kiss before and felt like her lips were failing her. Her  _ brain  _ was failing her, and she was surprised her legs had yet to follow. Her hand slowly brushed up the blonde’s arm to her shoulder, where she brushed the hair sitting there back. Everything about Luna was so soft, her waving hair and now her lips on Ginny’s. She didn’t feel as much in comparison, but hearing the small sigh fall off of Luna’s lips assured her. 

After what felt like an eternity the two broke apart, still standing with their noses practically touching. Ginny could breathe again, but just barely.

“Sorry I only got you socks,” Luna said. 

“That’s okay,” Ginny whispered back to her. “It’s perfect. Everything is.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one more chapter to the end! please kudos and comment + you can follow me on tumblr @shslflamingarrow


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